Breathe Easy
by adangerousbond
Summary: After S1 finale, once Eddie has been cleared and has just been released


Had this written after the S1 finale and forgot to post, only did a quick touch up, so may have some errors.

I was a massive Castle fan so figured I would give Take Two a go and ended up enjoying it a lot, it's sort of a simpler, less serious version but still with some pretty great characters and the story lines might be a bit tropy but a good light-hearted US summer show.

Fingers crossed for season 2!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Enjoy!

* * *

He stepped out into the waiting room, fully expecting to be greeted by his team or at the very least his energetic partner, so the sight of only his old partner walking towards him threw him for a moment. Eddie reached his hand out, giving the older man a half hug while he shook his hand and ignoring the disappointment.

"Glad to be a free man?" Zeus asked, directing him out of the station.

"I'm concerned about Deacon's next move more than anything." Eddie responded honestly as he got into the black SUV, his tone tired.

"Take the win for what it is, every battle counts in a war." The seemingly universal bartender voice full of understanding and knowledge coming through his words as he gave his advice.

"Is everyone okay?" Eddie asked, watching in confusion as they turned at a set of lights they should have gone straight through, before realising he was being taken to his apartment not his office, where he expected everyone would be.

"Berto's chancing down a lead still, he should be back this evening and Monica and Sam should be back at the office." Zeus explained, brushing over the team's whereabouts as it was not a topic he had been wanting to get into too early within the drive.

"Is Sam okay?" His old partner finally asking the question he knew would have been bugging him since she hadn't been in the station.

"She's as good as she could be, considering." The older man stated, sighing as he continued, having missed the usually bright and bubbly actress over the past week. "Monica has been keeping an eye one her, she's been quiet but she has been focused."

"Sam quiet, now I am concerned." The humour that had been intended in the sentence not quite making it into the delivery.

"She's kept herself together, but she's not good at keeping herself out of the way of danger." Zeus chuckled sightly, if there was one thing she had definitely picked up on in all her years as playing a cop, it was how to run head first into danger.

"What happened?" Eddie asked, his rising concern evident in his words, wishing that they could go straight to the office where he could see her, but suppressing his wish as he knew Zeus wouldn't be taking a detour to his apartment if she was in actual danger right now.

"She forced herself on to a recon Berto and I were doing on one of Deacon's men, then thought it would be a good idea to jump in his car as he made a getaway. He ran them off the road, which did help because it meant we did get to question him after all."

"Is she okay? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Eddie near growled, hating that he hadn't been there to keep her out of danger, even if a small voice in his head was telling him that no one could have stopped her.

"A few cuts and bruises, but she was lucky." Zeus answered the first part of the question, pulling into a park and turning to his friend before answering the second part. "We all agreed it would be better for you not to have the added worry, especially Sam, she wouldn't stand for anyone to mention it, and your partner, she can be quite scary."

* * *

The pair made their way into the familiar office, the first thing Eddie noticed was the silence; no one was around, and the second thing was the mess. The usually neat and tidy office was covered in case files, notes and take out containers, his team had clearly been working non-stop since he had been arrested and he knew he had only gotten out as quickly as he had because they had worked as hard as they had to prove his innocence.

"Guess they stepped out for a bit, nothing to worry about I'm sure." His friend spoke up after ducking his head in the doors in an attempt to locate someone.

"It all happened quickly, do they know I got released?" He asked, realising they may not have been informed yet and could still be out in the line of fire for him.

"They knew that Christine and your lawyer were putting forward all the information that we had to prove your innocence, but she only called me to pick you up, I did text everyone once you were on your way." Zeus explained that the team had only recently found out that their long hours had actually paid off.

"Why would Chris only tell you?" Eddie questioned, the information confusing him, especially because he knew that Christ knew about Sam and him.

"She was worried about Sam, she had to ban her from coming into the station and I think she wanted to ensure it all went smoothly." Zeus stated, the ding of the elevator drawing both of their attentions instantly.

"Eddie!" Sam exclaimed, rushing off the elevator and flinging her arms around her partner, nearly spilling the coffee in her hand as she did.

"I'm okay." He whispered to the small brunette, holding her back even tighter and taking in her scent, as he was able to relax slightly for the first time since that night, even if he had caught a glimpse at some cuts on her face.

"Sorry we weren't here, we thought we would get lunch." Sam told the pair as she pulled back just enough to look at him, she felt the urge to kiss him but hesitated, they had not really determined much the week prior and now she was even less sure of what they were doing.

Her hesitation gave him the chance to take the injuries in her face in fully; he raised his hand to her face, gently tracing a long cut across her fore head. The action breaking her train of thought as she remembered he didn't know what had transpired and she didn't know what had happened to him in there.

"I'm okay." She spoke quieter than before, repeating his words as she pulled away fully and walking into the kitchen, Monica following behind with a bag of take out and a look of relief.

"Berto should be back in about 2 hours." Monica informed the room as she begun taking containers out of the bag she had placed on the bench.

"I'm going to head home, but let me know if you need anything." Zeus stated firmly, taking the food that Monica was handing him as he gave Sam and then Eddie a quick hug before heading towards the elevator.

"So are you out out?" Monica asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room as everyone started on their food.

"Free as a bird. On this anyway, who knows what Deacon's next move is." Eddie responded dryly, he was never overly worried that they wouldn't be able to get him out, but no knowing what came next terrified him.

"Whatever it is, we'll beat him, we have to." Sam told him determinedly, a break to her tone telling him that she wasn't convinced of her own words, but she was trying to be.

"Or at least we will all die trying." Monica assured in in her usual confident way.

"That's what I'm worried about." Eddie grumbled, glancing sideways at the bruised woman next to him and he couldn't help but wonder what would be worse; losing her or losing the war.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quickly as they caught Eddie up to speed with what they had found and what they had done to get him out, Berto joining them with more caffeine and a tray of pastries. By the time the sun was setting and the Saturday nightlife in LA started waking up, Eddie had to all but demand that they call it for the day and that he didn't want anyone in the office until Monday, knowing they all needed the break.

"I'll give everyone a lift." Berto stated as he grabbed his keys from his desk.

"Where is my car?" Eddie asked, forgetting for a moment that he hadn't driven himself to the office.

"Still in the impound lot, we can sort it out on Monday." Berto explained, the girls already following him into the elevator, clearly having gotten used to Berto driving them home in the past week, having had moved the investigation to Sam's house when they had had enough of the office for the day.

Pulling up out the front of Eddie's apartment building first, a silence over took the car as Eddie made no move to exit. Sam had been unsure if she should go up with him, but one look at his quiet demeanour told her that he shouldn't be left alone, not that she had wanted to anyway.

"Come on, I'll walk you up." She told him, taking his hand for a moment as she opened her door with the other.

"Do you want me to wait?" Berto asked her quietly, when Eddie was half out of the car already, taking the silent shake of a head as her answer.

"Are we safe here?" Eddie asked her as they made their way into building, ignoring the looks from a few of its other tenants.

"Zeus went over your apartment and security; he triple checked everything and updated anything that needed updating." His small partner spoke as if rehearsed and he knew it was a question that was haunting her as well, moving his hand to her back, he pulled her into a sideways hug in an attempt to reassure them both.

Stepping off the elevator and onto his floor, he kept his hand on her back, he wasn't sure if they should be playing around with their boundaries, but he knew that right now he couldn't stop himself and she didn't appear to be able to either.

As they entered the apartment, she went straight over to a new box and started going over his new security features, something that made him feel safer than he had on the other side of his door. He watched her with a small smile, she was quiet and shaken; but she was strong and full of fight still, and he was drawing his strength back from her.

"Should we talk?" He asked, following her as she moved into his bedroom and collected a shirt of his to change in to, he was glad that she seemed to be staying on her own without him having to verbally ask.

"Not today. Today we need rest." She responded with a small smile, she had been trying to stay upbeat and supportive all day, but the exhaustion that she had been feeling all week was catching up on her, on them both.

They both set to getting ready to go to bed, the lull to the room further support to her statement that they needed the rest. Eddie sighed in content as he laid on his bed, a week on a thin mattress in a jail cell had almost made him forget that a mattress could be comfortable.

"You missed your bed most of all, didn't you?" Sam joked as she slid under the convers next to him, receiving a genuine smile in response.

"I do have some pretty good memories here." He spoke through closed eyes, his arm moving around her waist to keep her close as she moved up alongside him.

She hummed in response, the warmth, relief and safety cocooning around them , putting her to sleep almost as soon as she had laid down, his words basically lost on her. He peered through his eyes for a second, taking the moment in; he normally hated letting emotions in, but this was what he had fought to get back to and having something to fight for, made the fight more worthwhile.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

This is currently just a oneshot, but still undecided if I will continue or not, most likely will come down to if I get a chance to write another chapter.

Tumblr: Adangerousbond


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